"It's like having another kid to take care of."---Grandpa
He feels like a burden and has already predetermined that he will need to go to a nursing home. His belief lies is his worry that he will have a stroke and we won't have the time or ability to care for him. What he can't see, understand, or feel is the depth of our love for him. His presence in our home fills my life and my heart. I don't see "another kid." What I do see is a man who taught me to multiply by the age of 5; a man who wrapped his toes in his boots while I pulled relentlessly to remove them only to have him release his toes in the perfect moment to send me backwards and have us both chuckle; a man who, before rolling out of bed to drive me to the bus stop in the rain, would tease me to walk between the raindrops; a man who showed me the power of truth, integrity, and love.
I would be displaying disregard for my own emotions if I didn't say that there are times when I'm tired. Tired of the complaints, tired of the lack of internal motivation, tired of feeling guilty for going to work. But I'm never too tired; never too tired to meet his needs, never too tired to want time with him; never too tired of asking him to experience quality of life; never too tired of being blessed by him.
Life with Grandpa means change; a new lens on life.
"You're a Great Grandpa."---me
"Well, thank you. What am I great at?"---Grandpa
"I meant you are a Great Grandpa as in the title, but you are a great Grandpa because you make our lives happy just by being here."---me
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